Kiss and Tell

Continuing her roll from child actor to pre-pubescent drug casualty to teen temptress to maturing Hollywood hitmaker, Drew Barrymore took another step in her evolution with Never Been Kissed, the first movie she's produced for herself. At a mere 24, she has turned herself into one of the most bankable actresses of her generation, with a string of solid hits and a reputation for being one of the few genuinely joyous creatures running loose in Hollywood

Kiss and Tell

Continuing her roll from child actor to pre-pubescent drug casualty to teen temptress to maturing Hollywood hitmaker, Drew Barrymore took another step in her evolution with Never Been Kissed, the first movie she's produced for herself. At a mere 24, she has turned herself into one of the most bankable actresses of her generation, with a string of solid hits and a reputation for being one of the few genuinely joyous creatures running loose in Hollywood

Saturday 21 August 1999 12.51 EDT
First published on Saturday 21 August 1999 12.51 EDT

What was your first great kiss like? I kissed this gentleman on a balcony and there was this ceramic tile everywhere. I remember feeling the cool air and thinking that I can't wait until we have this beautiful, perfect rhythm together. That was a nice thought.

Never Been Kissed is another one of those high school hell movies - only this time, it's even hell for a grown up. Well, this is not a teen movie. It takes place in a high school, but that's a perfect venue for adult examination. If you can find one more tumultuous than that, I want to know about it. Because it is so raw, you know? I loved that this movie capitalised on the awkwardness of life and the pain you feel.

One tumultuous venue that comes to mind is movie producing. I tried to have as much fun with it as I could. But I don't think I'll ever stress as much as I did on this film. When I walked away from it I realised that I could've done all the same things without all the angst.

Well, according to your co-workers, you were disgustingly cheerful and positive. I've learned through life and especially through work that at times you want to yell and scream, but when you do that you not only hurt someone else, afterwards you feel really bad about yourself. So I try just to not go there. But life is beautiful. I live for kindness and those moments when someone makes you feel good. I don't know if you're happy all day long, every day, but I think that you try to be and you want to be. And you hope that even if that's the best it ever is and will be, that's good. I'm content with that.

Is that the outlook of someone who's gone through dark times and come out the other end? I think life is a gradual progression. I just keep trying to make choices that are kind to others, and in that process try to be kinder to myself. I'm pretty self-deprecating because I always had to be my own parent. I would be pretty hard on myself, very strict. But now that I'm older, I don't have to do that as much.

You used to party with your mother, Jaid, but then had to get away from her influence. How is your relationship now? I think it is good. Everybody has their trials and tribulations, and we have some really big ones. I wish for both of us to work them out with ourselves and each other, and if that takes a long time, that's OK. But she did a lot of things that were amazing for me; the same things that people criticised her for when I was younger are the very things that enable me to have the life and the work that I do.

Considering your own struggle with substance abuse, do you feel sympathetic toward colleagues like Robert Downey Jr? Not really. I was 13, I did a little drugs and drinks, everybody does it, we experiment. I'd much rather see a kid trying to experiment than an adult, because an adult should know better. Actors are in an incredibly fortunate position in life. I feel a lack of gratitude when they self-destruct and ruin all the good work that they have created. It's just sad.